[BRCMRGN]

Everything that I have seen says 9018.

 

[joey99]

I'm thinking of getting either the Z5 or Z7 ... I really love my H3s ... I think they're the most enjoyable iem that I can wear the whole day and it just disappears and you're only left with the music. I also love my 846 but they do get tiring after a while.
 
Do you guys think either the Z5 or Z7 is a significant upgrade from the H3?
I see the Z5 is even more expensive than the Z7 in hong kong.

 

[gerelmx1986]

I wanted to ask the same question LOL if Z5 sound better than H3 or no

 
or is the A3 better than H3?

 

[BlinkST]

  I'm thinking of getting either the Z5 or Z7 ... I really love my H3s ... I think they're the most enjoyable iem that I can wear the whole day and it just disappears and you're only left with the music. I also love my 846 but they do get tiring after a while.
 
Do you guys think either the Z5 or Z7 is a significant upgrade from the H3?
I see the Z5 is even more expensive than the Z7 in hong kong.

The Z5 is the best IEM. Better than H3. Better than EX-1000. Better than K3003. Well, at least according to Hifiguy. 
I also love my H3 and am looking for a more spacious sound and better positioning.
 

  I wanted to ask the same question LOL if Z5 sound better than H3 or no 

 
or is the A3 better than H3?

The A3 is better than the H3, according to some impressions:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/75#post_10895797

 

[audionewbi]

I will buy it when its price fall just like ex-1000.

 

[fnkcow]

Why do Japanese IEMs prices fluctuate so much? Anybody have any idea?

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

  The Z5 is the best IEM. Better than H3. Better than EX-1000. Better than K3003. Well, at least according to Hifiguy. 
I also love my H3 and am looking for a more spacious sound and better positioning.
 
The A3 is better than the H3, according to some impressions:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/75#post_10895797

Hold on there sheriff. The Ex1000 and K3003 have both been vetted by some of the most respected forum goers here and have concrete impressions dating back years. The Z5 hasn't even formally released yet and impressions are already polarized to say the least. Let's give em at least half a year before we declare anything at all. 

 

[xedjflowx]

Take the following impression with a grain of salt:
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

MDR-E888以来20年近く、SONYの最高峰イヤホンを渡り歩いてきました。EX90→EX700→EX1000→XBA-H3と来て、今回のXBA-Z5に至ります。
現在の再生環境は、MacBook Pro Retina＋Audirvana Plus＋ラックスマンDA-100です。

Z5は、基本的にEX1000やH3と同じく、SONY的な音だと思います。
しかし、EX1000やH3はノンエージングでも最初から期待や想像した通りのSONYの高級機らしい音がしていたのに対し、Z5のファーストインプレッションは、低域が厚く、かつ、ベールが何枚かかかったようなモコモコした音で、正直これは失敗したかなと思いました。
幸い、1,2時間エージングすると、かなり音が安定してきたので胸をなでおろしましたが。

10時間ほど使った感じでは、まだ高域は少し籠っているような感じがするものの、中低域の厚みが増し、H3では聴こえなかった細かい音が聴こえるようになり、開発者の言うハイレゾのニュアンスもより伝わるような感じはしました。ゼンハイザーIE800を意識した音作りになっているのかな？

総評として、エージングが進めば悪くないと思います。ただ、今回は買って最初に出てくる音が期待外れである可能性が高いので、少し長い目で見るタイプの製品と思いました。
 

Translated from Japanese
 

MDR-E888 since nearly 20 years, and has been wade the highest peak earphone of SONY. Come and EX90 → EX700 → EX1000 → XBA-H3, and leads to this XBA-Z5.
Current playback environment is a MacBook Pro Retina + Audirvana Plus + Luxman DA-100.

Z5, like basically EX1000 and H3, I think SONY sounds.
However, for the EX1000 and H3 of was is high level machine-like sound of SONY of the street you first from the expected or imagined even in non-aging, first impression of the Z5, the low frequency is thick, and, Bale took some photos in Mokomoko the sound, such as, I think honestly wonder if it failed.
Fortunately, when aging or two hours, I've Nadeoroshi the chest so has been fairly sound is stable.

The feeling was using about 10 hours, but feel like that is still high range a little pregnant, the thickness of the low-pass increases in, now hear the fine sound that did not hear in H3, high resolution of say developers nuances were also feels like more travel. I wonder if has become the sound making you aware of the Sennheiser IE800?

As a general comment, I think that the aging is not bad if promoted. However, because this time the sound that first come out is likely to be a disappointing to buy, I thought it was the type of product you see in a little long eyes.

 

[Kunlun]

Ah yes, treble that's "a little pregnant". Wouldn't want it to be totally pregnant, but just a little pregnant is good.

 

[Fizban]

I tried them Sonys!
The aural buffet is too much for me.
 
I'm came away really impressed with the new offerings by Sony this time.
If the A1 are supposed to replace the older H1, the upgrade completely removed all the murkiness of the H1 that I disliked.
The A1 sounds like a very decent pair of competent headphones that has the total package.
All in that cute tiny form factor that's really irresistible!

Moving on to the A2, it is clear that the moniker "HD" comes into play here.  Depth and realism is apparent, sounding like my H3.
 
But moving on the A3, i cannot tell much difference, except that there is perhaps better separation.
 
As I excitedly tried the z5 next, it was a WOW moment.
It was the COMPLETE PACKAGE, imho.
Depth, realism, refinement were all stepped up, but not as much as can justify the price increase.
I have never heard a pair of headphones as good for pop music, thus far that is.
Bass is super thick, like a mega piece of coagulated phlegm at the back of my throat I cannot quite cough out. Perhaps burn-in will take care of that.
 
Exciting!
Might tempt me away from the Fitear 333 I'm eyeing but then again, both are very different creatures, one uniquely fast and melodious (Fitear 333) and the other simply the complete package (Z5).
 
My 2 cents.

 

[xedjflowx]

  Ah yes, treble that's "a little pregnant". Wouldn't want it to be totally pregnant, but just a little pregnant is good.

That's what I was thinking. If I want an IEM to have anything, it has to have that bit of pregnancy

 

[Kunlun]

  Bass is super thick, like a mega piece of coagulated phlegm at the back of my throat I cannot quite cough out.
 

 
Something about the z5 is really bringing out memorably wacky descriptions.
 
I can see how "a little pregnant treble" plus bass like "a mega piece of coagulated phlegm at the back of my throat I cannot quite cough out" would indeed make a superior iem.
 
 
But, I ask you, dear reader, what is the midrange like?
 
Is the midrange like a scent of a well-fattened goat, after a summer rainstorm?
 
Is it like the turgid rippling of a segment of a tapeworm as it feasts on the semi-digested detrius of a hamburger in the colon of an unsuspecting tourist?
 
Is it like "a soft field, the pride of the tilled land,
wide and triple-ploughed, with many ploughmen upon it
who wheeled their teams at the turn and drove them in either direction.
And as these making their turn would reach the end-strip of the field,
a man would come up to them at this point and hand them a flagon
of honey-sweet wine, and they would turn again to the furrows
in their haste to come again to the end-strip of the deep field.
The earth darkened behind them and looked like earth that has been ploughed
though it was gold..." (-trans Lattimore)
???

 

[xedjflowx]

   
Something about the z5 is really bringing out memorably wacky descriptions.
 
I can see how "a little pregnant treble" plus bass like "a mega piece of coagulated phlegm at the back of my throat I cannot quite cough out" would indeed make a superior iem.
 
 
But, I ask you, dear reader, what is the midrange like?
 
Is the midrange like a scent of a well-fattened goat, after a summer rainstorm?
 
Is it like the turgid rippling of a segment of a tapeworm as it feasts on the semi-digested detrius of a hamburger in the colon of an unsuspecting tourist?
 
Is it like "a soft field, the pride of the tilled land,
wide and triple-ploughed, with many ploughmen upon it
who wheeled their teams at the turn and drove them in either direction.
And as these making their turn would reach the end-strip of the field,
a man would come up to them at this point and hand them a flagon
of honey-sweet wine, and they would turn again to the furrows
in their haste to come again to the end-strip of the deep field.
The earth darkened behind them and looked like earth that has been ploughed
though it was gold..." (-trans Lattimore)
???

how much time did you spend on this. i enjoyed it

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

Pregnant with phlegm is definitely top of the heap for what I'm lookin for in my phones. Anywho, the Z5 seems to be about universally reviled over at kakaku.com, but the sample size of 9 reviews is too small to arrive at anything conclusive, other than perhaps caution is order. The common link seems to be overly boosted bass and a thick sig though. Which... makes the aforementioned machine translated review all the more confusing - unless its original intent has been mangled (mayhaps), as the ex1000 and Z5 don't seem to be anything alike. The Ex1000 was very linear from the bottom up to about the treble range, where things start looking a bit rough. The Z5 on the other hand, doesn't seem to manage an iota of linearity if all this talk of coagulated super thick bass is any indication. In any case, I do look forward to hearing them, as, like the Lear 4.2, there's a plethora of interesting tech jammed in there. Whether any of that coheres into anything worthwhile is the real question. 

 

[Sauntere]

My guess.... It's akin to the smell of freshly cut grass just after a summer rainstorm. Everything is clean and instantly recognisable and just a little bit sweet.
 
At least i hope so...